Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, goes the adage.

That’s not necessarily so in eastern Salisbury Township, where residents might be singing the chorus of Deep Purple’s 1972 hit rock song, “Smoke on the Water.”

Or perhaps more accurately, it’s “smoke in the water.”

The Salisbury Township board of commissioners voted 5-0 to approve a motion to authorize Keystone Consulting Engineers, Inc. to conduct smoke-testing in eastern Salisbury Township Drainage Basin 10 Area.

“In our ongoing efforts to identify and then move ahead with repairs, in the eastern portion of the drainage basin, as they review the area, they will map out a plan,” Salisbury Township Manager Cathy Bonaskiewich said before the vote.

“We don’t exactly know the scope of the work yet,” Bonaskiewich said, should system repairs be required.

Keystone is to be paid $43,193 for the smoke-testing.

Use of smoke allows Keystone engineers to see where there may be leaks in pipes and to trace the smoke back to improper connections to the system.

“The attempt is to eliminate stormwater infiltration into the sanitary system, to eliminate water from sump pumps and roof drains,” Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer David J. Tettemer of Keystone said.

“We want to make sure all of the roof drains are disconnected into the sewer system. We would recommend it drains into a grassy area,” Tettemer said.

Citing a township ordinance, Salisbury Township Assistant Manager Sandy Nicolo said, “It must drain into a vegetated area.”

“Because of the storm surge, Cypress Avenue looked like a river,” board of commissioners President Debra Brinton said during the discussion.

Trout Creek overflowed its banks because of rainfall Aug. 4 from Tropical Storm Isaias.

“All the water that was on Cypress Avenue couldn’t go into the creek. It went into a lot of people’s basements,” Brinton said.

Commissioners Aug. 13 voted to approve a Declaration of Disaster Emergency in response to Aug. 4 flooding resulting from Tropical Storm Isaias.

The Hurricane Isaias Home Cleanup Hotline, 1-844-965-1386, is open through Aug. 28.

Board of commissioners Vice President Rodney Conn made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Heather Lipkin to bring the resolution for the smoke-testing to a vote at the Aug. 13 township meeting, held online via Zoom for which there were as many as 33 participants listed on the computer screen.

The township board of commissioners next scheduled meeting is 7 p.m. Aug. 27, again via Zoom. The agenda includes a workshop discussion regarding a possible stormwater study.

Participants may sign up at the meeting page on the township website: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEld-mtqj4qG9HDAfZ9arwHc7v2i9JwFlJ2

In a related matter at the Aug. 13 meeting concerning stormwater, commissioners voted 5-0 to approve a resolution for revisions to the Official Sewage Facilities Plan of Salisbury Township.

“It’s basically a requirement as a signatory to the Kline’s Island Treatment agreement,” Bonaskiewich said before the vote, which was put forth by Lipkin and seconded by Conn.

In other agenda business, commissioners voted 5-0, on a motion by Lipkin and seconded by Commissioner Alok Patnaik, to approve a zoning ordinance amendment concerning use of temporary tents, food trucks and the like in the township.

A public hearing, during which there were no public comments, for the zoning amendment was held before the July 23 commissioners’ meeting. The amendment is intended to streamline the approval process for food trucks, temporary tents for sales of flowers and fireworks and temporary tents for special events.

“It’s basically to accommodate temporary structures, mobile food trucks, etcetera. Rather than going through a conditional use hearing, it would go through the zoning hearing board and the zoning officer,” Bonaskiewich said during the July 23 hearing.

Salisbury Township Zoning Officer Kerry H. Rabold said at the July 23 hearing she agreed with the concept of the zoning change, which she had introduced at the July 7 zoning hearing board meeting.

“It allows a little more flexibility in times of emergency declaration,” Bonaskiewich said before the Aug. 13 vote.

Salisbury Township Solicitor Atty. John W Ashley said the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission reviewed the amendment.

“They have no problem with it,” Bonaskiewich said.